Entries in Next-Gen
(22)

ey everyone, I’m sure you’re all slightly confused as I have no doubt that you’ve already read the title of this feature post, and what it naturally suggests, and that’s understandable. Which is why that I have decided to begin with a disclaimer what I’m trying to accomplish in this peculiar admission of mine, and some important bits of clarification that are real crucial to the meaning behind it.

I have spent weeks trying to write a fair, and objective review of Assassin’s Creed Unity to be published on Press Pause Radio, and have now reached a point where I no longer feel comfortable with the idea of doing so.

After giving it a considerable amount of contemplation and consultation among other members of the crew, I’ve reached the decision that this game is just too broken for me to just grade on a scale of the scale of quality that we typically adhere to.

In other words, the amount of shit that’s unabashedly broken and fucked in Assassin’s Creed Unity his hit a point with me, one where it is beyond any redemption or worthwhile attempt at to plodding through the unbridled mess that is, regardless of any merit that could be mined out of the content’s intent alone.

014; whether it was a year you cherished or hated, there’s no denying just how eventful the past twelve months have been—especially for video games.

From budding next-generation consoles that are gradually gaining ground after being on store shelves for nearly a year, to the challenges and questions that have shaken the industrial and culture foundations that drive the medium of video games and it’s direction; the 365thchapter we’re about to close on has sure had a lot of shit happen in it.

And just what kind of year would it be without the annual Press Pause Radio’s Golden Zonkies awards to get their last word in?

Everything from games to events that saw the light of day in 2014, across fifteen different categories, and we have that very list for you here now. We’ll be plowing through a prestigious catalog of choices, debating with one another from beginning to end in this epic podcast, each voicing our vote for the winner of its respective category.

The only stipulation in the Golden Zonkies is that any point, a wild card can be suggested by one of the hosts if majority vote dictates that another nomination is more deserving of the award instead of the choices presently casted, but weirdly enough—it didn't happen this year....imagine that.

If you’ve got an issue with the Golden Zonkies and how it was conducted then just remember the only other rule; it’s our God Damn show and opinion anyway, so keep that in mind when you send us whatever discourse you have with our decisions after the show by doing the following:

he philosophy to telling a good fairy tale carries a specific ingredient for success that will always remain consistent to the process, no matter what the subject matter may be; imagination—just how much mileage does it stretch out of the minds of all who give the fable the time of day. The humble beginnings of a fairytale can make all the difference between merely entertaining you, to completely transporting you to completely different world entirely, and even when it’s all done, you’ll never exactly be the same ever again.

Ubisoft hit this nail square on with Child of Light, and it took everything within me to rip myself away from one of the most enchanting worlds I’ve been to in the last ten years, and I do this just so that I can share with you all, how incredible this unassumingly brilliant title really is.

t’s strange that in that the last two decades where technology has considerably increased a number of new, more advanced avenues that can provision incredible feats of art design and animation, that we haven’t seen a Final Fantasy game actually rendered in the style of Yoshitaka Amano’s art beyond mere promotion.

It wasn’t until arriving at the Ubisoft booth at PAX East that I was relieved about such a thing too, it may have prevented such inspiration for one of the most beautiful games I’ve witnessed in some time; Ubisoft Montreal’s Child of Light. The eye candy is definitely a sight to behold, but behind all of that visual sweetness, is an RPG filled out from top to bottom with ingenuity and charisma that’ll be sure to incite a new trend for western RPGs to follow.

he First-person shooting trend is only getting bigger; it’s funny to think just how much more advanced the design has gotten over the years too. I mean, with games like ARMA, and Battlefield, the humble days of strafe ‘n shoot is far long into yesterday that it can almost be sub-categorized into being a completely different type of game.

I only mention this because as soon as I started to play the newest entry to one of the most iconic series of the genre, Wolfenstein: The New Order, that I reveled at the decision Machine Games made, to return the game back to the simplistically dumb action roots of the original—the results are surprisingly refreshing.

ne of the floor spaces particularly bustling with a bevy of attendees was Bethesda as attendees eagerly trafficked into line to see two games showcased, one being a playable demo, and the other; a presentation demo.

While I covered both, I figured I’d start off the pair with the game that’ll would be the most exhausting to express in my impressions; The Evil Within makes its first showing at PAX East since E3 of last year, and if the demo is any indication of the direction that will lead to the final product then it’s with a heavy heart that I foresee it being a memorable disappointment at best for the year of 2014.

he art of weaving an engaging fiction for the most interactive media in existence pens out like one of the easiest tasks in game development. The reality, however, is far from it. As we’re entering into the eighth generation of video games, an age where the latest foundation of tech at hand can simulate the most realistic of atmospheres and imagery, games still struggle to escape the trappings of the self-derived conceit that is ludonarrative dissonance, among other shortcomings -- Why?

The journey to fix these flaws and expand storytelling into new, more refined territories is a challenge that several developers attempt to tackle during every Game Developers Conference. While last year’s efforts focused on what could improve the writing that composes these tales, this year tackles the art of direction and engagement, and factors that motivate the gamer to emotionally invest into the narrative.

hat’s that? You say you demand squeaky new footage on upcoming video games do you? Why of course you do, and we’re not pulling any punches in this latest Now Showing. 2014 may have started with a slight lull in releases (giving plenty of indies the opportunity to shine) but that’s soon coming to an end.